UK Parliament to debate second EU referendum petition in September

Pro-European Union supporters and pro-Brexit supporters hold up placards during a demonstration against Brexit in Green Park in London on July 9, 2016. ©AFP

The British Parliament is set to debate on a petition calling for a second referendum on the UK membership of the European Union on September 5.
The Commons Petitions Committee said on Tuesday that the House of Commons will discuss about the online petition that was signed by more than four million people.
The petition was set up by a Brexit supporter before the June 23 referendum, asking the government to cancel the vote results if one of the Leave or Remain campaigns won by less than 60 percent on a turnout of less than 75 percent.
“The Committee has decided that the huge number of people signing this petition means that it should be debated by MPs,” a House of Commons spokesman said in a statement.
The Petition Committee, however, said debating the issue does not support the call for another referendum.
“The debate will allow MPs to put forward a range of views on behalf of their constituents. At the end of the debate, a Government Minister will respond to the points raised,” the spokesman also said.

Pro-European Union supporters hold up a European Union flag during a picnic against Brexit in Green Park in London on July 9, 2016. ©AFP

He added the debate will not end with MPs deciding about holding another vote, noting that the petition was opened before the referendum and called for “the referendum rules to be changed. It is now too late for the rules to be changed retrospectively.”
“It will be up for the government to decide whether it wants to start the process of agreeing a new law for a second referendum,” he concluded.
The government has rejected the call for holding another vote, saying the Brexit referendum was a once in a generation vote and must be respected.
The Foreign Office said on July 8 that “we must now prepare for the process to exit the EU and the government is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the British people in the negotiations.”
Britain voted to leave the EU after 43 years of membership in a referendum last month. Some 52 percent (17.4 million) of British voters opted to leave the EU, while roughly 48 percent (16.14 million) of people voted to stay in the union.
After the Brexit results came out on June 24, the petition was shared widely on social media by Remain supporters and was signed by more than 4.1 million people. It is said to be the most-signed petition since the process was introduced in 2011.